He pauses in the middle of the street.
“Yes, I’m here for you.”
There’s a distinction in those words that I hear and mentally trip over but have to push to the side.
“So, you’re going to stay and help us survive?” I ask, trying to get clarity. Is he staying? Why is that more important to me than the end of my designation?
I duck my head, looking at the ground, listening as he moves back towards me.
“Yes, I’m going to stay,” Cadel murmurs, getting closer and closer. I look away, at the ground, to the side, but he keeps coming until he’s standing right in front of me.
“You, uh—” I murmur, suddenly speechless.
He ducks down and kisses me. A god is kissing me. Not just any god, but the mythical Anarchy Wolf is kissing me, promising he will stay with me.
I hold on to the material of his top, leaning up, kissing him back. He might be a god, but right now, he’s just Cadel. My alpha.
When he pulls back, I feel like I’m on much steadier ground. I lick my bottom lip and watch as he tracks the motion with icy fire in his crimson eyes.
Crimson?
Yes, they are black with brown but around the pupil are crimson flames.
“Your eyes are pretty.”
He smiles, and, honestly, it melts away any doubts I had. I don’t care if he’s a demon sent to drag me to torment, I’d happily take his hand and skip down the path with him.
“I love you.”
I strangle on the words, wishing I could take them back. They just slipped out, like an echo of something from the past. In my panic, I put space between us, like, several feet, and look up at him.
“I mean, I’m angry at you!” I say in a shrill voice. “I’m thanking you for staying. I’m still mad. Wolf and, uh, bad wolves.” I trail off, losing steam. Why did I say that?
He’s staring at me in wonder, like he’s never heard anything so beautiful before.
I didn’t mean to…
Oh. OH!
The shock holds me completely still.
No, we’re in a war; feelings are high. I can’t really be feeling this, can I? I look at Jarek and am hit again with the complete understanding that, somehow in the past few days, my feelings for these alphas have become all-encompassing.
I don’t need to look at Mordecai to know how I feel. I was terrified he’d die, leaving me.
I curse under my breath and spin away from them.
“We should talk about this,” Cadel murmurs, and I can hear the laughter in hisvoice.
“We don’t need to talk about it,” I say tersely. “We don’t ever need to talk about it.” Why on Earth would a god love me? How ridiculous.
Cadel is silent, but when I look up, I see the three of them standing together, and for one ridiculous moment; I wonder if they are all gods.
Impossible.
“I want to talk about it.”
I turn away.
